Join an Online Medicine Buddha Puja to Receive Healing and Prayers for Yourself and Loved Ones

Medicine Buddha painted thankga, www.norbulinkga.org.

One way to receive support during the pandemic for yourself or a loved one is to participate in a Medicine Buddha Puja livestream and share the names of loved ones for prayers. Anyone can join in the livestreams - no need to be Buddhist.

I was recently reminded of this when Sravasti Abbey announced they have begun offering a monthly Medicine Buddha Puja online.

The Benefits of the Medicine Buddha Puja

Sravasti Abbey

Sravasi Abbey explained the Medicine Buddha Puja this way, "Have you recently lost a loved one? Do you long for support in your grieving process? Are you or relatives or friends challenged with illness? We are here to support you—through pujas and prayers via Zoom once a month.

"A puja is a Buddhist ceremony that involves visualization, meditation, making offerings to holy beings, and mantra recitations to receive inspiration and support. A puja generally focuses on a specific deity — a manifestation of enlightenment such as Tara, Avalokiteshvara, or Medicine Buddha. Pujas support our Dharma practice, accumulate merit (positive karma), and help to remove obstacles and other negative circumstances for ourselves and others. 

"Each monthly puja will begin with the Medicine Buddha Puja, which is supportive for health related issues, and also for healing the world and restoring peace and harmony. Medicine Buddha also helps to overcome the inner sicknesses of attachment, anger, and ignorance, and support us to generate and enhance compassion, love, and bodhicitta."

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa taught on the Medicine Buddha in 2014. "The traditional healing methods of Tibet, he said, are closely related to the Buddha’s teachings in several ways. One is the investigation of causes, which are divided into the immediate and long-term. The immediate causes and conditions pertain to the body; for example, the elements have deteriorated or bacteria have invaded. However, if we go beyond attempts to cure a particular infection or operate on a tumor, we can discover the long-term causes. These are related to the mind and mental states, such as anger and attachment. All disease is a result of many interdependent causes and conditions, so it’s important to analyze the complex of these relationships.

"These days, we deal with a lot of pressures in our lives, which bring us stress. Numbers of people have difficulties with their mental and emotional states. Temporary relief is not enough here. To bring a more sustainable, deeper level of cure, we ourselves need to find ways of allowing our minds to be peaceful. The mind gives medicine to the mind; we need to use a mental medicine for our mental afflictions. A good way to begin is to make a connection with the Medicine Buddha, the King of Deep Blue light ..."

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught about the benefits of doing the Medicine Buddha Puja at a Dharma center, "Medicine Buddha puja is excellent to prevent and help with natural disasters involving fire, wind, water, and air, including tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes. It also helps with world peace, stopping war and famine, disease and torture, poverty and sickness. It increases happiness in the area of the center, also peace in the United States, and the rest of the world.

" ... The idea is that everyone can participate. Anyone who would like to experience peace or wonders what to do for peace can join in. It should be advertised well, even for non-Buddhists, who know someone who has died, or is sick, even for people who have relationship problems, family problems, job problems."

Medicine Buddha, www.men-tsee-khang.org.

Dharma Centers Offering Medicine Buddha Pujas on Sundays

Yangsi Rinpoche

Maitripa College

Portland, Oregon

Every Sunday at 11:00 AM PST

Watch the livestream on the Maitripa College YouTube channel.

Request prayers in advance of the puja for loved ones and their names will be read out loud during the livestream.

Read more about the Medicine Buddha Pujas led by Yangsi Rinpoche on www.maitripa.org and access the Medicine Buddha Puja text Yangsi Rinpoche is using for the pujas.

Venerable Samten and staff members

Land of Medicine Buddha

Soquel, California

Every Sunday at 2:00 PM PT

Watch the livestream on the Land of Medicine Buddha Facebook page

Request prayers so your loved ones receive dedication of the merit at the end of the puja. 

Read more about the Medicine Buddha Pujas at Land of Medicine Buddha on www.landofmedicinebuddha.org.

Read an explanation of how the Medicine Buddha Puja is done at Land of Medicine Buddha on www.landofmedicinebuddha.org.

Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin and Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) Monastics

KTD is His Holiness the Karmapa's monastic seat in North America

Woodstock, New York

Every Sunday at 5:00 PM PST

Watch the livestream on the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra YouTube channel.

I don't see a way to request prayers for the Medicine Buddha Puja but you could explore the sponsorship webpage and contact KTD with any questions.

Read more about the Medicine Buddha Pujas at KTD on www.kagyu.org.

Sravasti Abbey Monastics

Newport, Washington

One Sunday per month at 6:00 PM PST

The first was held on July 26 and the next will be held on August 23, 2020.

Join the Medicine Buddha Puja on Zoom.

Register in advance and submit requests for prayers. Each session ends with listening to each others’ optional final reflections and sharing aspirations for yourself and loved ones.

Read more about the Medicine Buddha Pujas at Sravasti Abbey on www.sravastiabbey.org and access the Medicine Buddha Puja text used by Sravasti Abbey for the pujas.

Medicine Buddha, www.thrangumonastery.org.

Medicine Buddha

"Bhaiṣajyaguru (Sanskrit: भैषज्यगुरु, Chinese: 藥師佛, Japanese: 薬師仏, Korean: 약사불, Standard Tibetan: སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"; Chinese: 藥師琉璃光(王)如來, Japanese: 薬師瑠璃光如来, Korean: 약사유리광여래), is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha," he is described as a doctor who cures dukkha (suffering) using the medicine of his teachings.

"Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja Sūtra, commonly called the Medicine Buddha Sutra, as a bodhisattva who made twelve great vows. On achieving Buddhahood, he became the Buddha of the eastern pure land of Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa "Pure Lapis Lazuli." There, he is attended to by two bodhisattvas symbolizing the light of the sun and the light of the moon respectively."

Read more about Medicine Buddha on Wikipedia.

Win a Medicine Buddha Painted Thankga

Norbulinkga Institute in Himachal Pradesh, India, is giving away a Medicine Buddha painted thankga. Every order placed through the Norbulinkga Institute online shop until the 16th August will automatically be entered to win.

The Office of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche shared an important update about Norbulinkga Institute on July 31, 2020, on Ling Rinpoche's Facebook page:

''Dear Friends, 

"We hope and pray that you all are doing as well as possible during this unprecedented time.

"On behalf of H.E. Ling Rinpoche, we are writing to express our support for an important organization, Norbulingka Institute, and invite you to join H.E. Ling Rinpoche in supporting this worthy cause. Norbulingka Institute was founded 25 years ago by Kelsang Yeshi and Kim Yeshi under the direction of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who served as Chairperson from its inception until 2015. It is due to their hard work and tireless efforts over the last 25 years that the Institute has been able to flourish and benefit the Tibetan community.

"Norbulingka Institute is a leader in the preservation of Tibetan cultural heritage through its exceptional artwork and craftsmanship. It also provides unconditional humanitarian services and skills-training to newly arrived, exiled Tibetans. Since its founding, Norbulingka has employed nearly 1,400 Tibetan artists and staff. Currently there are 366 employees, trainees and students dependent upon Norbulingka for their livelihoods.

"Since accepting the Chairperson position in 2016, H.E. Ling Rinpoche has been impressed with Norbulingka’s continued operational efficiency as a 100% self-sustaining, not-for-profit organization. Now, with travel to Dharamsala drastically diminished due to the global COVID-19 pandemic crisis, Norbulingka is presented with significant financial challenges as commerce has drawn to a halt.

"During these days of great anxiety and hardship, please consider this a good opportunity to help others if you are able, through your support of Norbulingka Institute in any way, such as purchasing Norbulingka products online, donating, or raising awareness by sharing this information with others.

"For a 10% discount on online purchases use the promotional code: GREENTARA

"To learn more about Norbulingka, please visit norbulingka.org.

"Please visit https://norbulingka.org/blogs/news-from-dharamsala/support-norbulingka for our Press Release.

https://norbulingka.org/pages/donate
https://www.facebook.com/NorbulingkaInstitute/
https://www.instagram.com/norbulingkainstitute/

"We encourage you to subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates, for more information about how you can participate in Norbulingka Institute’s legacy.

"Your support of the Tibetan heritage is most appreciated at this time.

"With thanks from Yongzin Lingtsang Labrang - the Office of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche
www.lingrinpoche.info"

Celebrating His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa's 35th Birthday

His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, www.kagyuoffice.org.

His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje celebrates his thirty-fifth birthday on June 26, 2020.

Karmapa By Tenzin Kunsel

To honor the day please enjoy a beautiful music video by a popular Tibetan singer, Tenzin Kunsel.

Watch "གངས་རིའི་རྒྱལ་སྲས། [ Karmapa By Tenzin Kunsel ] Official music video 2018" on the Tenzin Kunsel YouTube channel.

The video was filmed at Buddha Park of Ravangla, also known as Tathagata Tsal, near Rabong (Ravangla) in South Sikkim district, Sikkim, India.

The statue was named the Tathagata Tsal Buddha statue by His Holiness the Dalai Lama who later consecrated the Buddha statute in 2013, the year the one hundred twenty eight foot high hammered copper statue was completed.

In 2018 Tenzin Kunsel released this video, "འཁྲུངས་སྐར་བསུ། | Trungkar su | 33rd Birthday Celebration of Karmapa | Tenzin Kunsel," also available on the Tenzin Kunsel YouTube channel.

Distribution of Food Aid in Bihar State, India

Kagyu Monlam shared on Facebook on June 22, 2020, "The preparation of essential dry ration to be distributed to 1200 poor families on the auspicious 35th birthday of HH the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa on June 26, 2020. We feel fortunate being a part of compassion in action’s aid work in this pandemic time.

"“कर्म ही धर्म है” Karam hi Dharam hai

Kagyu Monlam Pavilion, Tergar Monastery, Kagyu Monlam Facebook.

"The COVID19 Crisis relief works under the Compassion in Action project of Kagyu Monlam as par His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa’s vision of a world where we all look after each other with kindness. #together #wecan #wewill #worldpeace

"#IndiaFightsCoronavirus #COVID19 #COVID19Pandemic#StayHome #FightCOVID19 #kagyumonlam #coronavirus#TogetherWeCan #unitedagainstcoronavirus #karunaagainstcorona

Kagyu Monlam Pavilion, Tergar Monastery, Kagyu Monlam Facebook.

"Kagyu Monlam is to spread the seeds of loving kindness and pure motivation, to activate their power, and hence bring about genuine peace, love, happiness and well-being in the world. ~ 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

For more updates follow @kagyumonlam"

Distribution of Customized Sheets to Rainproof Homes in Bakrour Village, Bihar State, India

Kagyu Monlam shared on Facebook on June 25, 2020, "In celebration of auspicious 35th Birthday (June 26) of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, we offered customised sheets to 150 poor Maha Dalit families in Bakrour village, Bodhgaya. On our last visit for the free distribution of dry ration to poor villages, we came across a newly established village of 150 families in Bakrour village, Bodhgaya who are staying in grass huts. We measured the size and requirement of sheets to protect them from rain. Accordingly, we ordered customised good quality sheets from Kolkata.

Bakrour Village, Kagyu Monlam Facebook.

"Today, the team of Kagyu Monlam led by Lama Chodrak visited the village. In the presence of a village head and a local Bikkhu, we distributed customised sheets to 150 families and we are happy that they can welcome the monsoon rain with a big smile. The beneficiaries of this project are families of Jagan Manjhi, Indra Devi, Shanti Devi, Panpa Devi, Shela Devi, Jagath Manjhi, Rakesh Manjhi, and a total of 150 families.

“कर्म ही धर्म है” Karam hi Dharam hai

The COVID19 Crisis relief works under the Compassion in Action project of Kagyu Monlam as par His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa’s vision of a world where we all look after each other with kindness.

#IndiaFightsCoronavirus #COVID19 #COVID19Pandemic#StayHome #FightCOVID19 #kagyumonlam #coronavirus#TogetherWeCan #unitedagainstcoronavirus #karunaagainstcorona 

Bakrour Village, Kagyu Monlam Facebook.

Kagyu Monlam is to spread the seeds of loving-kindness and pure motivation, to activate their power, and hence bring about genuine peace, love, happiness, and well-being in the world. - 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

For more updates follow @kagyumonlam"

Tree Planting at Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya, Bihar State, India

Kagyu Monlam, in Bodhgaya, Bihar State, India, shared on Facebook on June 25, 2020, "In celebration of auspicious 35th Birthday (June 26) of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Kagyu Monlam initiating tree plantation program in the campus keeping in mind His Holiness advice on greater awareness of our deep connectedness to one another and to the planet. We are continuing the tree plantation program further in this monsoon season with more plants and environmentally friendly activities.

Tergar Monastery, Kagyu Monlam Facebook.

“कर्म ही धर्म है” Karam hi Dharam hai

#tree #plantation #treeplanting #ecofriendly #environment#environmentallyfriendly #khoryug #mothernature #green #greencampus#saveenvironment #flowers #nature

"Kagyu Monlam is to spread the seeds of loving-kindness and pure motivation, to activate their power, and hence bring about genuine peace, love, happiness, and well-being in the world. - 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

For more updates follow @kagyumonlam"

A Birthday Gift From His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa

A June 25, 2020 email from Dharma Ebooks read, "In celebration of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa's official birthday, Dharma Ebooks in collaboration with KTD Publications has published Finding Genuine Practice.

"Comprising teachings His Holiness gave in 2014 on Geshe Langri Thangpa’s the Eight Verses of Training the Mind, this book is intended as a gift from His Holiness to his students on the occasion of his official 35th birthday.

"It is available for download from the link below, and printed copies will be available from www.KTDPublication.com and www.NamseBangdzo.com"

Download the free book from the Dharma Ebooks website.

Birthday Celebration at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra

The North American seat of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa is Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York. Each year the Dharma center celebrates His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa's birthday.

Kyabje Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche (1924-2019) celebrating His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa's birthday, 2017,  Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Facebook.

The program included a morning puja for His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa's health, longevity, and vibrant dharma activity. Karma Triyana Dharmachakra prayed especially for essential workers, first responders, health care workers, and those who have died in the epidemic. Lama Karma Drodhul, president of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, said, "We want to dedicate merit especially to those who have passed away because of this illness."

June 26, 2020

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM PT

Watch a recording of the livestream on the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra YouTube channel.

Make an offering on the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra website.

Recite The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness with monastics at His Holiness the Karmapa's North American Monastic Seat During Covid-19

The 17 Karmapas, abqktc.org.

Every Thursday night in May 2020, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje's monastery in Woodstock, NY will be leading a recitation of the prayer he advised to stop the spread of Covid-19. All are welcome to join in via the livestream.

Karmapa's Monastic Seats
His Holiness the 1st Karmapa Chokyi Drakpa was born in Kham, Tibet in 1110 CE. He founded his first monastic seat (religious and administrative center) in Kham in 1164 and named it Kampo Nenang.

His Holiness the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was born in Kham in 1924. He fled to India in 1959 during the Cultural Revolution, and established his monastic seat-in-exile in Sikkim, India, in 1966, naming it Rumtek Monastery. 

In 1976 he established his North American monastic seat in Woodstock, NY, naming it Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD). KTD is now the North American monastic seat of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Born in Kham in 1985, he escaped to India in 1999. He made his first trip to the West in 2008.

KTD's website explains, "The Karmapa’s main seats have ensured that not only his future disciples but also his future reincarnations have a lasting base to which they can turn to connect with the lineage generation after generation ... they ensure that the insight and wisdom cultivated by exceptional practitioners is not lost with their passing."

Thangthong Gyalpo, KTD prayer book.

The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness: A Prayer for Pacifying the Fear of Disease

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje has advised reciting The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness: A Prayer for Pacifying the Fear of Disease by Thangthong Gyalpo to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

He led people all over the world in the recitation of the prayer on YouTube livestream from Europe on April 24, 2020.

During that teaching His Holiness the Karmapa explained about the prayer, saying, "Tangtong Gyalpo was a well-known 14th century Tibetan siddha. Once there was a large epidemic at the great Sakya monastery, and none of the medical treatments, offerings, or rituals they tried could help. When everyone was close to dying, they asked Tangtong Gyalpo for help. He wrote this prayer and the epidemic subsided, as the histories related."

Read the rest of the transcript on His Holiness the Karmapa's website.

KTD after Mahakala Puja, February 2020, KTD Facebook.

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra

The Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) community will be reciting the prayer and broadcasting it on YouTube livestream and the KTD Facebook page on Thursday, May 7 at 4:00 PM PT.


"Thursday Night Chenrezik (Chenrezig) Practice and Special Prayers to Calm Sickness, 7-8:30 PM Eastern Time.

"Join Khenpo Karma Tenkyong and the khenpos and lamas of KTD as they chant the Chenrezik (Chenresig) compassion practice along with The Prayer that Saved Sakya, a prayer from the 14th century that stopped an epidemic in old Tibet, and has been recommended to us by His Holiness Karmapa to recite now.

"This month, the Full Moon Chenrezik (Chenrezig) practice falls on Thursday, May 7.

"Every Thursday Night in May:
May 7 – Full Moon Chenrezik (Chenrezig) Practice
May 14, May 21, May 28"

Please note KTD is using the translation of The Prayer that Saved Sakya shared by Lotsawa House, which is different than the translation in His Holiness the Karmapa's Prayers for a Time of Pandemic prayer book.

The Chenreszik (Chenrezig) practice is also freely available on the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra website.